Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

Articles tagged "Instagram"

Welcome to part two of our Instagram Plan. Last week we talked about why Instagram is a great addition to your marketing social media platform and what kind of content will attract an audience to your page. It is through this content that you will connect with not only students, but faculty, staff and alumni as well. Becoming an everyday part of their lives gives you the opportunity to turn those connections into sales. This week the focus will be on engaging your campus community and marketing your store events in a way that makes people excited to participate.

Social media marketing offers a variety of platforms to engage with customers, but with that comes a variety of challenges. On Facebook it is hard to be seen, on Twitter you are limited to 140 characters and on Snapchat you only get 10 seconds to make a lasting impression. Instagram is different. Your followers will see your posts, your caption can be as long as you need it to be and the images never go away. This is why Instagram dominates all social media when it comes to interactions per thousand followers.

Live streaming is an addiction. It provides glimpses into the lives of others that evoke feelings of sameness between strangers. Last’s year’s top viewed live video was the lady sitting in her car wearing a Chewbacca mask while she laughed. Her video alone had over 160 million views, and she didn’t do anything but share her joy over a child’s toy. Businesses, big and small, have used live videos to give companies a human voice. Nearly every major social media platform now has a way connect with your customers live, but which one is the best?

A commercial comes on, what do you do? Get up and walk away, fast forward because no one watches live TV anymore, or ignore it while you talk to your family or play on your phone. This is the problem all brands, regardless of size, are running into. How, then, do you reach your target audience in a way that won’t be easily tuned out?

Coming across a fun marketing idea when it is too late to implement is disappointing. As the year progresses, there are naturally times when setting up marketing events is easier than others, but the good ideas rarely seem to fall in those moments. Take advantage of one of the slower times of the year by making a plan. This month, instead of offering a single idea, we have 10 social media marketing events you can personalize and line up throughout the year to fit your schedule.

Instagram is in a tight battle with Facebook Messenger and Snapchat for the title of "most popular messaging app among millenials." You're surely aware of its popularity at some level; it would be difficult to spend time around college students, as you do, without taking notice. And while knowing Instagram is helpful to a small extent, it doesn't necessarily help you, the college bookstore, utilize the platform in the best way possible. Fortunately, the folks at Hubspot have compiled some of the stats you need to know if you're to get the most out of your Instagram account:

In a long-anticipated move, Instragram officially announced its new tools for business users this week. Now businesses such as your campus store can create business profiles, use improved BI analytics and create posts as ads, boosting your visibility and driving traffic toward your store and website. While there are a few quirks — only users who have already set up a business page on Facebook will be able to create a business profile on Instagram, for example — these tools should go a long way in reaching today's college-aged consumers.

53 percent of adults ages 18-29 say they use Instagram everyday. That means their is an excellent opportunity for colleges and universities to use the world's most popular photo app to market to their students. Included in the list from Hubspot below are schools that are doing an excellent job of getting the most out of their Instagram accounts - you'll even find a few MBS partners! Check out the excerpt and be sure to read through the entire list here.

Does your store use Instagram promote products and share fun events? If you do, it's important to know what kinds of photos best appeal to Instagram users so you can get the most out of each post you make. In this infographic, from Social Media Today, they run down the qualities that the majority of popular Instagram posts share. Check out the infographic below, and read the full article here.

Most popular posts

Most popular topics

Contact MBS

Customer Service800-325-0530cserv@mbsbooks.com

Order Processing800-325-0577

Stay Connected With Us

As MBS’ signature publication, Foreword Online is dedicated to offering daily industry insight and cutting-edge news that keep college retailers ahead of the curve. Follow us on social media. Contact us with ideas and feedback. Subscribe for regular updates.